Xwilliam e e



(No Model.)

W. E. SPARKS.

MORTISE LATGH. No. 332,456. Patented Deo. 15, 1885.

ha Q/ N. PETERS. Pnomiiuwgnphnr. wnningmn. D. c.

UNITED STATES VILLIAM E. SPARKS., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TOSARGENT & CO., OF SAME PLACE.

MORTISE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,456, dated December15, 1885.

Application tiled October 5, 1885. Serial No. 178,961. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, WiLLmM E. SPARKS, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented new Improvements inMortiseLatches; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specication, andrepresent, in-

Figure l, a side view ofthe latch complete; Fig. 2, a side view,cover-plate removed; Fig. 3, a vertical section eut through the lever atthe pivot, showing edge view ofthe slide; Fig. 4, the lever detached;Fig. 5, a modification.

This invention relates to an improvement in mortise-latches, andparticularly to that class which is operated by a thumb piece or leverextending into the door, and adapted to either a right or left handdoor, and is an improvement on the invention for which Letters Patent ofthe United States No. 102,723, were granted me May 3, 1870. In the usualconstruction of this class of latches to reverse the latch it isnecessary to open the case and reverse the lever by which the bolt isdrawn.

The object o1" this invention is to avoid this difficulty and provide alatch which is adapted for either a right or left hand door withoutchange of any of its parts, and it consists in constructing the casewith recesses, one in the upper edge and the other in the lower edge,the inner end ofthe bolt with two arms, each of the said arms providedwith a shoulder combined with a three-arm lever hung within the casebetween the said two shoulders on the bolt, the third arm constructedwith a slot, and a slide guided for vertical movement through the case,its ends extending into the said recesses, and provided with a stud toengage the said slot in the lever, as hereinafter described.

A represents the case, constructed with a recess, a, in its upper edge,and a like recess, b, in its lower edge.

B is the latch-bolt, constructed at its inner end with two arms, each ofthe said arms forming a shoulder, respectively, d e.

C is a three-arm lever hung within the case on a pivot, f, between thetwo arms of the bolts, two ofthe arms, g 7L, adapted to engage,respectively, with the shoulders d e, the other arm, m, at substantiallyright angles to the arms g h, constructed with a slot, a.

D is a slide guided by the edges of the case for vertical movementthrough the case, its ends extending, respectively, into the recesses ab, and is constructed with a stud, o, upon its under side, to engagewith the slot a in the arm m.

E is a spring hung within the case, the tendency of which is to throwthe bolt, but yield to allow it to be drawn.

The bolt is drawn by moving the slide either upward or downward. Ifupward, the stud o, working in the slot a, turns the lever and forcesthe arm g of the lever against the shoulder d, thereby drawing the bolt,as shown in broken lines, Fig. 2, or the reverse action of the slide,the engagement ofthe stud and slot being the same, the arm h of thelever is forced against the shoulder c, thereby drawing the bolt, as inthe previous operation, so that whether the latch is in a right or lefthand door one of the ends of the slide is always downward in positionfor engagement with the mechanism by which it is to be operated, andthis without change in position of any of the parts of the latchmechanism.

The case A may be constructed narrow, as shown in broken lines, Fig. l,without the recesses, and the ends ofthe slide project beyond the edgesof the case.

The arm m of the lever may be constructed with the stud and the slidewith' the slot, as seen in Fig. 5; but I prefer the construction ashereinbefore described.

I claiml. The combination of the case A, the latchbolt B, constructedwith shoulders d e at its inner end, the slide D, adapted to moveVertically through the case, its ends projecting, respectively, aboveand below the edges of the case, with the three-arm lever C, pivotedwithin the case between the said shoulders on the bolt, two of thearmsof said lever adapted to engage, respectively, with the shoulders de, the other arm of said lever adapted to engage with the slide, and thespring E, to throw the IOC) bolt, but yield to allow it to be drawn,subthe bolt, two of the arms of said lever adapted stantially asdescribed. to engage, respectively, with the shoulders d e,

2. The combination ofthe oase A,'construct the other arm of said leveradapted to enga-ge ed with a. recess, a, in its upper edge, and a withthe slide, and the spring E, to throw the [5 5 corresponding recess, b,in its lower edge, the bolt, but yield to allow it to be drawn,substanlatoh-bolt B, constructed With shoulders d e tially as described.at its inner end the slide D adaptedto move vertically through the caseone end extendv WILLIAM E' SPARKS ing into the recess a and the otherinto the Witnesses: 1o recess b, with the three-arm lever C, pivotedWVM. S. COOKE,

Within the case between the said shoulders on OHAs. L. BALDWIN.

